Invest in Oceana’s future through the community foundation’s $25,000 challenge match

Invest in Oceana’s future through the community foundation’s $25,000 challenge match

Deadline is Dec. 31, 2023

Through the generosity of an anonymous donor, the Oceana Community Foundation launched a $25,000 challenge match through the end of the year. Gifts to the community investment fund or the administrative fund will be matched, creating double the impact in Oceana County.

“The challenge match is such a heartwarming holiday gift to our community,” foundation CEO Tammy Carey said. “Not only will people’s end-of-year gifts have double the impact, but they will also support Oceana’s local nonprofits and residents indefinitely through the foundation’s endowment. Gifts will truly become the ‘gifts that keep on giving,’ both now and in the future.”

The community investment fund is a flexible, unrestricted fund that provides grants twice a year through the foundation’s community spring and fall grant rounds. It is designed to support Oceana’s critical and emerging needs in perpetuity. Recent grants from the community investment fund include:

• $5,000 to the Oceana County Medical Care Facility to purchase licensed therapeutic virtual reality content for older adults.
• $3,000 to Michigan Area United Methodist Camping to create a family-centered disc golf course to increase outdoor recreation.
• $1,650 to Family Promise of the Lakeshore to support its Lakeshore Eviction Prevention and Housing Stabilization Program.

Donors can create their own community investment fund. They are a collection of funds established and grown by individuals, families and businesses. These funds are unrestricted in nature, meaning the foundation and grant committee have the flexibility to respond swiftly to critical and emerging needs and provide leadership to community initiatives like the larger community investment fund. The funds are a great giving option for those with an Individual Retirement Account (IRA). While you can’t direct an IRA contribution to a donor-advised fund, you can create and support your own community investment fund through your IRA. Your gift will empower the foundation to make strategic grants year after year, where need and opportunity are greatest.

The administrative fund advances the foundation’s mission to create a more vibrant community by expanding its capacity and supporting leadership initiatives. The administrative fund supports the essential organizational overhead necessary for the community foundation to operate, like staff salaries, organizational rent or expenses, expanded operations and leadership activities.

You can support the Oceana Community Foundation’s $25,000 Challenge Match in multiple ways. Giving options include:

• Sending a check, dated Dec. 31, 2023, to CFOC at P.O. Box 902, Pentwater MI 49449. Please note which fund or split between the two.
• Making an online donation through the foundation’s website. Click on the fund links for the Administrative Fund and Community Investment Fund.
• Designating a portion of your required minimum donations from your IRA to the foundation, which is a qualified charity.

For more information about making a gift, now or through an estate plan, creating a named fund at the foundation, or to learn more about our scholarship programs, call Tammy Carey at 231-869-3377 or visit the foundation’s website at www.oceanafoundation.org.